I have been lurking around the forums and researching e-readers for a few weeks and I am now deciding between the EZ Reader PP and the PRS-300, please, why should I go with Astak over Sony?

I do like how Robert is on the forums and responds regularly, however with Sony being so large, I know they will be there tomorrow. So please, convince me why I should shell out the $20 more for the EZ Reader PP.

Also, how is the PDF support? I looked everywhere but there doesn't seem to be much feedback on it.

Dan21, I look forward to seeing how other Astak owners reply to your question. I haven't purchased one yet, but when I do, it will be the Astak Pocket Pro. I considered both the Astak and the Sony 300. Here are my reasons for going with Astak:

1. The customer service! Just from reading here on the forums, the customer service is great! From what I can see, Robertb does a really good job taking care of people and making sure their concerns are addressed. With Sony if there is a problem, I think you have to call a call center in India (not sure on this, just what I've read somewhere) and my limited experience with overseas customer service has not been good.

2. The features of the Astak seem much better than the Sony! I don't think I'll use the mp3 feature as I have an mp3 player I like pretty well, and I want to conserve the battery life. But I like the fact it has expandable storage, and it supports so many formats! I doubt I'll ever use all of them, and half of them I'm not even sure what they are. But it just seems nice to have the features.

3. The look and feel... I tried both out in stores, and I really preferred the look and feel of the Astak. I like the softer case, as opposed to Sony's metal casing. Also, the Astak is a bit smaller, even though the screens are the same size. It's not much of a size difference, but just enough that the Astak will fit in my purse, whereas the Sony will not.

4. The accessories... The Astak comes with a case, headphones (which I'm not sure I'd really use), and a charger. The Sony doesn't come with any of those. The charger was the real selling point to me... you can charge both with your computer and USB cable, but I've just got a netbook, and I don't want to have to use that to charge my reader. With Sony, if you want the charger to charge it in the wall (is that called an A/C adapter? I'm really kind of ignorant in all the computer terms), you have to pay an extra $30.

So, that's why I've chosen Astak over Sony. You can take all this with a grain of salt, since I don't actually have one. But I'm hoping to be able to purchase it within the next month or two. I just have to save a little while longer. And as I said, I'm anxious to see how other users answer your question! Good luck in finding the perfect ereader!

I was just in the exact same boat as you. I was completely torn between the Pocket Pro/BeBook Mini and the Sony PRS-300. For me the following just won me over:

1) SD card slot. I'm not limited to the .5 GB of onboard memory. So when my ebook library blooms to several hundred or thousands books, I don't have to worry about not being able to carry my collection with me (#1 reason why I bought a ebook reader). Plus throw in some black-and-white graphic novels and some MP3s and that 512 MB memory is full before I know it.

2) Customer support and Robert's presence here on the MR forums. I rarely, if ever, find a company that has a representative that speaks and interacts with their primary user base on a day-to-day basis. Robert's dedication here, to the product, and to customer service is above-and-beyond and I feel like I can put my trust and my wallet behind a company that listens, improves, and communicates with its customers.

3) Included cover. Honestly, if I had went with the Sony, I still would have bought a cover which would have tacked on another $25 to $40. Add shipping onto that and I'm paying $235+. For $200 + $12.50 shipping, I get a included cover and a AC-to-USB charger (something the Sony doesn't provide).

4) Look and feel. Granted, I would not have minded the smooth/metallic feel of the PRS-300, I think the rubberized feel of the PP would better suit me. I don't have to worry about my grip slipping and the reader sliding out of my hand onto the floor below. More friction = better hold.

5) Consistent and regular updates. Again, Sony has also started doing this as well, but for a smaller company like Astak (and ultimately Hanlin) to provide this level support is impressive. Being used to regular firmware updates and great product support from Cowon (I own two Cowon PMPs), I expect nothing less for an investment that's worth $200+.

My own experience with Sony has been far less than stellar when it comes to product reliability, customer support, and product support. Granted, I haven't made any major Sony purchases in the last few years, I had my own qualms about trusting yet another few hundred dollars to a company I lost faith in years ago.

I have not yet purchased a dedicated e-book reading device and with so much developing now I'm not in a hurry anymore. Not in a hurry to the point where I picked a Verizon Droid smartphone as my toy for the year.

However, of all the current choices I really like what Astak offers much more than Sony due to the user replaceable batteries the Astak units have. After a year of use both my cell phones and mp3 players always have a severe downturn in how long the battery will stay charged. The phones I replace the battery and the phone is like new again. The mp3 players I suffer with or buy another cheap one. I used to work in a cubical so everybody had an mp3 player going all the time to block out nearby meetings and phone conversations so the device lasting shorter and shorter a time was quite noticeable. My personal policy these days is that unless an electronic device has a price tag of $50 or less I won't buy it unless the battery is easily user replaceable.

The issue of having to purchase a cover and A/C charger is another strike against the Sony for me.

I have not yet purchased a dedicated e-book reading device and with so much developing now I'm not in a hurry anymore. Not in a hurry to the point where I picked a Verizon Droid smartphone as my toy for the year.

However, of all the current choices I really like what Astak offers much more than Sony due to the user replaceable batteries the Astak units have. After a year of use both my cell phones and mp3 players always have a severe downturn in how long the battery will stay charged. The phones I replace the battery and the phone is like new again. The mp3 players I suffer with or buy another cheap one. I used to work in a cubical so everybody had an mp3 player going all the time to block out nearby meetings and phone conversations so the device lasting shorter and shorter a time was quite noticeable. My personal policy these days is that unless an electronic device has a price tag of $50 or less I won't buy it unless the battery is easily user replaceable.

The issue of having to purchase a cover and A/C charger is another strike against the Sony for me.

Good luck with your choice!

If you want to avoid having to replace batteries so soon, try not to run them down before charging them. Li-Ion batteries only have about 500 to 1000 charge/discharge cycles. This means that if you charge it, then drain it till it dies, it's 1 cycle. So you can imagine that repeated over the course of a year will kill the battery. Charging before it hits 20% capacity is usually recommended so the battery lasts longer.

Hi,
I also have been reading and educating myself from Mobileread ("lurking" in forumspeak) for the past several months and went with a purple PP over the Sony several months ago. And I just love it. The other posters have pretty much summarized my reasons also.
I hate having to put out extra money for additional accessories.--The PP came with a nice sturdy cover and an ac adapter- 2 things that I considered a necessity.
I like having the option of also being able to use an SD card for holding as many books as I might ever want to carry.
I also liked that it had a user-changeable battery. If/when the battery would ever die, I was not interested in having to send back the whole reader for someone else to replace it.
And, customer service is huge with me. When there was initially a problem with the paint surface, it was dealt with quickly, efficiently and without any complaints or hassles from the company, to my total satisfaction. A while ago, I had a problem with a Sony product breaking down twice, and when I asked them if they didn't have enough pride and confidence in their product to rectify this, essentially, they said...no, they helped me once, but wouldn't stand by it a second time. I knew that answer would come back and bite them, and it did--even if all things were equal; which it's not, the PP offers much more, I prefer to go with a company that stands behind its product 100%.
And I was tremendously impressed that a company representative, Robertb, was so actively present on this forum. He stays so focused on customer service, and always sounds calm and reasonable, even when some comments here can get a bit demanding or harsh.
For essentially the same price, those are the reasons that made me pick the PP.
Now that I've been using it, I also like 3 ways I'm able to turn the pages with either hand, no matter how I'm holding it. The paint is no longer an issue; it's fine, even though I'm always touching it because it has soft smooth feeling to the rubberized finish. I've read about 6 books on it and then finally decided to recharge it after about 2 months--I'm not a very fast reader.
PDF--well, technically I hardly know what I'm doing. I've put several of my pdf manuels for my video camera and its software on the PP, and it works. It's either quite small, fits on the page and the page turns go well, or it is big, with 2 PP page turns per PDF page, and sometimes jumps back to the beginning at the end of a chapter.
I haven't done the latest firmware update yet. That was a bit of a challenge for me, what with .bin and unzipping. My husband had to do that stuff for me for the first update, but after that even I could do it. I even figured out Calibre all by myself and converted some .lit books from Mobileread into epub and they look really nice on the PP.
Good luck on your decision. The PP came out way ahead for me over the Sony. I'm reading so much more now that I have something light and portable. And I haven't paid for any of it---I'm reading library books or public domain right now. Good luck on your decision. The PP came out way ahead for me over the Sony. I'm reading so much more now that I have something light and portable. And I haven't paid for any of it---I'm reading library books or public domain right now.

I too like the fact about the SD Card slot and user replaceable battery and even multiple formats. Sure, there are problems with some of the formats and we can hope for future fixes, but it does EPUB very well, which is the primary format on the Sony Reader. I also like the multiple page advance functions, specifically the jog dial on the right-hand side.

I have been lurking around the forums and researching e-readers for a few weeks and I am now deciding between the EZ Reader PP and the PRS-300, please, why should I go with Astak over Sony?

I do like how Robert is on the forums and responds regularly, however with Sony being so large, I know they will be there tomorrow. So please, convince me why I should shell out the $20 more for the EZ Reader PP.

Also, how is the PDF support? I looked everywhere but there doesn't seem to be much feedback on it.

Dear Dan21:

It is great that you ask questions before you buy! Good for you.

I think everybody above has done a great job of giving you the differences betweeen the Sony and the Astak. NOTE that almost all have different things that they love about the Pocket PRO. You did not get the same 2-3 reasons from each... you have numerous reasdons WHY the Pocket PRO is dearly loved! AND... they are right about a User-Replaceable Rechargeable Battery!! The Sony is sealed in, meaning about $80-100 charge, freight costs, and 4-6 weeks without your device. You can purchase spare batteries on our website and always have a fully-charged battery ready to go. Changing takes about 20 seconds!

Astak is not a Sony! You are right! But Astak is a Team Research Division and Team Research has been around since 1992! We are not going anywhere and are bringing out many new models in fact! Even IF you keep your Pocket PRO 5 years... we will still be here to take care of you!

I hope I soon can welcome you to the ranks of very proud Pocket PRO lovers!!

Thanks everyone, I think I have decided on the PP. I went to Best Buy today and saw the PRS-300 (wasn't sure if 5" was enough) and I think the size is good. I like the PRS-300 I just like the additional features of the Astak PP. I do just have a couple more questions:

You say Astak is a Team Research Division, so you do customize the firmware for the PP? I know that the hardware is the same as the bebook and hanlin v3, but what exactly does Astak do that sets it apart from Endless Ideas or Jinkie?

I saw Robert you mentioned you were going to announce something within the next few days, and the post was the 18th? Hopefully it is a price cut or free shipping. I'll place my order after the announcement is made!

Looking forward to becoming part of the Astak EZ Reader PP community,
-Dan

Thanks everyone, I think I have decided on the PP. I went to Best Buy today and saw the PRS-300 (wasn't sure if 5" was enough) and I think the size is good. I like the PRS-300 I just like the additional features of the Astak PP. I do just have a couple more questions:

You say Astak is a Team Research Division, so you do customize the firmware for the PP? I know that the hardware is the same as the bebook and hanlin v3, but what exactly does Astak do that sets it apart from Endless Ideas or Jinkie?

I saw Robert you mentioned you were going to announce something within the next few days, and the post was the 18th? Hopefully it is a price cut or free shipping. I'll place my order after the announcement is made!

Looking forward to becoming part of the Astak EZ Reader PP community,
-Dan

I wouldn't wait for a price cut. I would be worried the current price won't last. The announcement is not related to eBook Readers directly. There are clues in the pre-announcement that will guide you as to what to expect related to content.

They do not customize the eBook reader besides the logos and opening/closing screens. However, they do work closely with Jinke on features and fixes and may get releases ahead of other vendors. They also do a quick test before posting updates. But overall they will all get the same features eventually. The firmware is interchangeable between the various brands.

You say Astak is a Team Research Division, so you do customize the firmware for the PP? I know that the hardware is the same as the bebook and hanlin v3, but what exactly does Astak do that sets it apart from Endless Ideas or Jinkie?

The PEz is the V5 not the V3 series (that is th 6", basic)

Quote:

I saw Robert you mentioned you were going to announce something within the next few days, and the post was the 18th? Hopefully it is a price cut or free shipping. I'll place my order after the announcement is made!

The only way I see the price to come down, is for Astak to be selling the EZReader in Kindle size quantities. May, RobertB have that problem to worry about

The only way I see the price to come down, is for Astak to be selling the EZReader in Kindle size quantities. May, RobertB have that problem to worry about

Dear All:

the Ducks has a good and valid point. QUANTITIES make the price go down. I only wish we had 1/10th the throughput that Amazon has. Yes, if we could order 20,000 from the factory at one time the price would go down. Unfortunately, that is not the case (yet).

Dale did a great job of defining that Astak works closely with the factory to get these eBook Readers right for the American Market. We also provide all technical support, customer service, and warranty right here in the USA. We also pay extra to have the bodies of these eBook Readers we sell come out in colors. Lastly, we have this presence on MobileRead Forum.

The big news coming is about a new website and not about price decreases.

There is a ton of similarity between our Astak products and other V3 and V5. I do not deny that and never have. BUT... we also include the case and ear buds with the unit at no extra charge. Some others sell the case seperately. I think we do more than enough to differentiate ourselves as a better choice.

Lastly, Astak has two lines from two factories. It also is developing its own MID line! It also sells far more than just eBook Readers: IP Network cameras, micro cameras, and other consumer electronics. I think this also seperates us from others who offer the V3 and V5.

I decided just after xmas that I could really use a ebook reader to read my favorite fan fiction on the go.
In the past week I have been hitting the ebook research pretty hard and as of yesterday I had it narrowed down to the Sony PRS 300 and Astak EZ reader.
The kicker for me was definitely the SD slot as I have gigabites worth of stories.

Also, the helpful presence of RobertB here in this forum really lets me know that this company stands by its product and will try it’s best to fix any problems that may arise.
I can’t imagine Sony even caring.
So as soon as my tax refund comes thru, I will be ordering an Astak EZ reader Pocket pro. Very exciting!